Creating a Great Business Logo and Tag Line

Logo Design and Tagline Tips for Effective Branding

A memorable logo, built around eye-catching visuals and a repeatable tagline, can play a significant role in whether customers patronize a competitor's business or yours. Creating a standout logo calls for an image, and perhaps a phrase, that focuses customer attention on what the business has to offer. The design elements of a logo must play off the mission, services, and products of a company to deliver a solid return on your branding investment.

A Standout Logo is Key to Branding

You have given a significant amount of attention to your company name and believe it speaks to who you are and what you do. Now you need to wrap a graphic image around that name to carve out a prime piece of real estate in your target customer's mind. Amazon's logo, for example, includes an arrow that points from the "A" to the "Z" in its name to remind customers of the breadth of merchandise the company offers.

8 Logo Design Tips

Keep in mind that a powerful logo design:

Has a strong, balanced image with little excess that would otherwise clutter its look.

Is distinctive and bold, making it easy to see at a glance.

Has graphic imagery that looks appropriate for your business.

Works well with your company name.

Is done in an easy-to-read font.

Communicates your business clearly.

Looks good in black and white, as well as in color.

Looks good on a web page and in print (on business cards or stationery).

Hallmark's memorable crown logo is one of the reasons that the company comes to mind so quickly when you need to buy a greeting card. It is simple, bold, and looks good in either color or black and white. The logo also suggests the quality required for something to be stamped with a hallmark, so it works well with the company name.

Distinctive Taglines Enhance Logos​

A tagline usually is a three- to seven-word phrase that accompanies your logo. The purpose of a tagline is to quickly express your company's most important benefits to your target customers. It also serves as a repeatable callback to your services that may compel customers to revisit your brand.

When read or heard aloud or read, a tagline acts as a cue to trigger a reaction.

An effective tagline can include a call to action related to the logo and brand.

The tagline is a phrase that, when spoken, can connect customers who enjoy the brand.

Even in the absence of a logo, a tagline can revive memories of the logo and brand.

Combined with a logo, a tagline can be the focal point of branding that customers recall.

Companies can create effective taglines when they take the time to identify the qualities and reactions they want to evoke among customers who think of the brand.

The Hallmark tagline, "When you care enough to send the very best," appeals to a personal desire to be viewed as having good taste and an appreciation for luxury. The intent is to show that the Hallmark brand stands apart from rival greeting cards, which might be viewed as commodities.

The Hallmark company was founded by J. C. Hall. He used the legacy of hallmarks, which were stamps that denote quality, purity, and genuineness, to characterize the type of service and value the company wanted customers to associate with its name.

Creating a prominent logo and distinctive tagline are critical to developing a brand that provides a recognizable image for your company. It can be worth investing time and money to develop these publicly-facing aspects of your company. These elements can create the first and most long-lasting impressions your customer base identifies with your brand.